Who Is Yukinobu Tatsu, the Creator of DANDADAN? Exploring His Age and Experience as an Assistant on Chainsaw Man

"DANDADAN" is a manga series serialized by Yukinobu Tatsu on the web manga distribution service Shonen Jump+. The story is an occultic battle featuring a high school girl, Momo Ayase, who was born into a family of mediums, and a high school boy, Ken Takakura, who loves the occult. Together, they encounter aliens, ghosts, and other supernatural beings.

The TV anime adaptation began airing in October 2024. The voice of Momo Ayase is played by voice actress Shion Wakayama, and Ken Takakura is voiced by Natsuki Hanae.

This article compiles the profile of Yukinobu Tatsu, the author of "DANDADAN," along with information about his previously serialized works and one-shots.

What Is "DANDADAN"?

Momo (Momo Ayase), coming from a family of mediums, believes in ghosts but denies the existence of aliens. Her classmate Okarun (Ken Takakura), who is obsessed with the occult, believes in aliens but not ghosts. This difference leads Momo and Okarun to argue.

In order to convince the other of the existence of ghosts and aliens, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital known as a UFO hotspot, while Okarun visits a famous haunted spot found on the internet. Both, being skeptical of the other's beliefs, encounter strange phenomena at their respective locations.

As of March 2025, the "DANDADAN" manga series has surpassed 10 million copies in circulation. The TV anime adaptation was announced in November 2023, and broadcasting began on October 3, 2024.

Who Is Yukinobu Tatsu, the Creator of "DANDADAN"?

Yukinobu Tatsu, the creator of "DANDADAN," is a manga artist. Describing his personality, Tatsu says he tends to worry easily and that seeing posts that call his work "interesting" when he searches for himself online makes him happy.

The first manga Tatsu bought with his own allowance was Dragon Ball, and he also credits Dragon Ball as the reason he started drawing. When asked about works that influenced him, he cited the manga "LAMPO-THE HYPERSONIC BOY-" by Tetsurou Ueyama. He also mentioned that he is a big fan of art collections by Toru Narita, who designed aliens and monsters for "Ultraman."

Tatsu has been good at drawing since childhood. While working at a convenience store, he would draw on the back of receipts. One day, the store manager suggested that he become a manga artist, which inspired him to pursue manga creation.

He drew a manga based on the Gundam series he loved and brought it to Gundam Ace magazine, but it was harshly criticized. However, due to his drawing skills, he was offered a position as an assistant. He continued submitting his own works while assisting, finally making his serialization debut in 2010 with "Seigi no Rokugou."

In 2021, he began serializing "DANDADAN" on Shonen Jump+. After the release of "DANDADAN's" first chapter, it quickly became a hot topic on social media, surpassing 1 million views in just two days. The first three chapters each surpassed 1 million views within one week of publication, marking an unprecedented achievement for Jump+. The "DANDADAN" TV anime started broadcasting in October 2024.

Yukinobu Tatsu’s Comment on the Animation of "DANDADAN"

I am truly grateful for "DANDADAN" being adapted into an anime. It is a dream come true for me that Science SARU, whose works have always moved me, and some of today’s most prominent voice actors—whom I have admired in many popular titles—are working on "DANDADAN." I am sincerely thankful. I look forward to working together to make "DANDADAN" an even bigger success. Thank you very much.

What Are the Gender, Age, and Public Face of Yukinobu Tatsu?

Tatsu is male. This was confirmed in a post by "DANDADAN's" editor Shihei Lin when recruiting assistants, where "Yukinobu Tatsu (male)" was noted.

His age has not been disclosed in interviews and remains a mystery, but we can estimate it somewhat from previously revealed information.

Given he started pursuing manga creation while working part-time, it's likely he was at least 15 years old when he set his sights on becoming a manga artist. His serialization debut was in 2010, so as of 2024, 14 years have passed. Taking into consideration the time spent as an assistant and submitting works, Tatsu is at least 29 years old. If he started part-time work after graduating high school at 18, he might be at least 32 now.

As for whether he has publicly shown his face, Tatsu generally does not. In a YouTube "Jump Channel" video showing an interview and drawing process, his face was obscured and shown only as a silhouette.

How DANDADAN Was Created

Tatsu cites the movie Sadako vs. Kayako as the work that inspired the creation of "DANDADAN." During a period when he couldn't draw manga, he looked back at his notebook and found a note saying "Sadako vs. Kayako is interesting."

In the movie Sadako vs. Kayako, the character Keizo Tokiwa, played by Masanobu Ando, says, "You fight monsters with other monsters!" This led Tatsu to devise the idea of having UMAs (Unidentified Mysterious Animals) and aliens confront ghosts.

What Are Yukinobu Tatsu’s Previous Works?

In addition to his currently-serialized "DANDADAN," Tatsu has published several other works.

For serialized manga, there is "Seigi no Rokugou," about merging with a robot left to him by his older brother to become a hero, and "FIRE BALL!," themed on high school baseball. These two series were serialized in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine. The collected edition of "Seigi no Rokugou" was also published by Shueisha.

His published one-shots include "Renai Saibaiho", "Kamisama no Iru Machi", and "Yamada Kiki Ippatsu."

Can I Read Tatsu’s Works for Free?

On the smartphone app version of Shonen Jump+, you can read all chapters of DANDADAN for free once, from the first chapter to the latest. If you wish to reread chapters, you can do so by spending in-app coins.

On the DANDADAN work page within Shonen Jump+, "Renai Saibaiho" was specially released in the November 2, 2021 update, and "Kamisama no Iru Machi" was released as a special one-shot in the June 21, 2022 update. Both can be read for free on first reading.

Does Yukinobu Tatsu Use X (formerly Twitter)?

Tatsu has a public X (formerly Twitter) account. On Tatsu’s X account, you can sometimes see storyboards for "DANDADAN" and illustrations drawn by Tatsu.

After the news broke of "Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama’s death, Tatsu posted, “Thank you for your wonderful works. May you rest in peace,” accompanied by a Dragon Ball illustration.

What Is the Relationship Between Yukinobu Tatsu (DANDADAN) and Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man)?

Tatsu spent time as an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of "Chainsaw Man." Tatsu worked as an assistant when Fujimoto was serializing "Fire Punch" and part one of "Chainsaw Man."

Additionally, Yuji Kaku, the author of "Hell's Paradise" which was serialized in Shonen Jump+, worked as an assistant with Tatsu during the "Fire Punch" serialization. Tatsu has also revealed he was an assistant on "Hell's Paradise."

When Tatsu’s DANDADAN project was completed, he was an assistant on both "Chainsaw Man" and "Hell's Paradise", and since both series were nearing their end, he finished both projects before beginning serialization of "DANDADAN."

Tatsu’s age is unknown, but based on interviews, he refers to Fujimoto as "Fujimoto-kun" and Kaku as "Yuji-san," indicating he is likely close in age to or older than Fujimoto, and possibly younger than Kaku.

When Tatsu's one-shot "Yamada Kiki Ippatsu" was published in Shonen Jump+, Fujimoto promoted it on his X account by writing, "This is a work by Chainsaw Man’s strongest assistant, so please check it out."

Summary

The manga "DANDADAN," currently serialized on Shonen Jump+, is created by manga artist Yukinobu Tatsu. He made his serialization debut in 2010 with "Seigi no Rokugou."

Unable to find a job during the employment ice age, Tatsu was working at a convenience store when a manager saw his drawings on the backs of receipts and suggested he become a manga artist, which inspired his career.

Tatsu has also spent time as an assistant to Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of "Chainsaw Man," and Yuji Kaku, creator of "Hell's Paradise."

(C)Yukinobu Tatsu/SHUEISHA,DANDADAN Production Committee

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